The 4-Day Work Week

[dougiezerts]

This is an idea that's been around a little while: How do all of you feel about the idea of a 4-day, 10-hour per day, work week? And have any of you ever actually worked this schedule?
I have mixed feelings. Getting three days off would be great. But working ten hours a day would be hell! But all in all, I think I'd like doing it.

[katie kaboom]

When i worked full time at Macy's i used to wish they'd let me work four 10 hour days instead of five 8 hour days. Ideally i would have loved to work 10 hours a day Tuesday through Friday and never have to dread Mondays again.

As far as i'm concerned, if i'm already at work anyway, what's another 2 hours a day if it means that's one less day of the week i have to work.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I've done it at two different jobs and let me tell you, the entire country would be a lot happier if this were more mainstream. Staying two extra hours a day isn't that big a deal...after all, your day's already pretty much shot, right? But it adds up to a whole day off every week. And you just can't put a price tag on that, it's AWESOME.

I wish they'd let me do it here.

So put me down as strongly in favor.

[Shangri-laschild]

My summer schedule here is close to that. We have 4 - 8 3/4 days (so only 5 hours short of the 40 hour work week) and I remember it being kind of nice to some extent. That extra day off was nice, but I'm so used to getting out at 3 each day that it would feel to me like I was getting out of work later than I should have been. I'm not sure how I'd feel about it for year round.

[Daskinor]

I think it is pure awesome.

[smileyeagle1021]

I'd say I thought the idea of a 10 hour day sucked... but who am I to speak, I'm working 12 hours today and will be working at least 15 hours on friday perhaps 18 if I sign up for the overtime that's available. So yes, I'd love to only work 4 days a week in exchange for 3 days off.

[Becks]

I would like it.

We get overtime for anything over 8 hours in a shift.

They'd probably change it, though.

[Evil Queen]

The local PD here work four 10-hour days. They seem to like it. I've never worked it and probably never will (I have, occasionally, worked the odd 12 hour shift. Thankfully, not anymore).

[LewisLegion]

We actually have that as normal here. I'm the abnormal one with a five-eights schedule...and in the next month or two that's changing back to four-tens as well. I did four tens for three years before switching to the 5-8s. Now I'm switching back (one less trip to work 14 miles away a week=less gas).

There's a little bit of an adjustment period but on the whole its a great thing and no big deal. The only thing that sucks is my work rates everything based on an eight hour workday, so if we get a company holiday off, they only pay us for eight hours, not ten. So we either have to take two hours of vacation...or come in and work the two hours in order to get paid for them.

[Lil Bunny]

My boss and I are talking about this actually, especially since a raise isn't viable at this moment (damned training fund low point and no Trust meeting til August).

With the cost of fuel and the 13 mile commute one way, something has to give. I love this job with a passion and I really do NOT want to quit. In a way it will suck as I have some nightly commitments (working out, family dinner/practice, et al) but to save money? It might darned well be worth it.

LOL of course the boss will have to answer his own darned phones. C'est la vie.

[powerboy]

I loved it. I was so happy having 3 days off instead of two. Plus it is only 2 hours extra

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Sounds good but something that will never ever happen in my current retail setting. The suits must get cat-butt face anytime we full-timers get 40 hours a week.

Plus in my job you have to plan around when the trucks are scheduled to come, and if trucks are added you have to scramble to get crews together to fill them if we've already hit our 40 hours for the week.

And if trucks get cancelled I know management would cut us loose to avoid having to pay 10 hours for people who don't have much to do. Then you're down to 30 hours for the week and wondering how bills get paid.

The thing is there are some jobs where 4 10-hour days are tough to make work.

[freeatlast]

When I worked in the Call Center from hell, they used to offer a "4-10s" shift. It sounds like a good deal, but you had to choose either Wednesday or Thursday as your extra day off. They did not allow anyone to have Monday or Friday, so I didn't think it was worth spending 10 hours a day on the phone with the suckiest of customers to have an extra day off in the middle of the week. Of course, since alot of people really liked those hours they stopped offering them after a couple of years.

[blas]

10 hour shifts are nothing. I worked 10 or 12 hour days pretty much every day from last August until almost April (unless it was a week where I had to do overtime on the weekend).

They won't offer that to us, though. Has to be five 8 hour shifts for the three regular shifts, and to not interfere with the weekend shifts.

[Peppergirl]

I went from 1st shift 9a-5p M-F to

3p-1a 4 days a week to

12 hr Fridays, 14 hr Saturdays and 14 hr Sundays.


It's not for everyone, but I absolutely LOVE IT and will never, ever go back to 1st shift, m-f ever again if I have my choice.

Granted, the first few weeks of working the 12/14/14 shift was pure hell. It took at least a day to recover after it, but once I got used to it, it's nothing.

It's kinda funny, when I work an 8 hr shift for OT now or something it feels like NOTHING.